EC to announce modalities for deleting NHIS card registrants

The Electoral Commission (EC) says it welcomes the specific directives given by the Supreme Court regarding the removal of names of voters who registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card as evidence of citizenship.

It said it was taking the appropriate steps to comply with the court’s directives and would make same public in the coming week.

A statement signed by Ms Georgina Opoku Amankwaa, Deputy Chair, Corporate Services of the EC, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the announcement next week would also outline the modalities for the exhibition of the 2016 Provisional Voters Register which is scheduled to start on 18th July, 2016 in all polling/exhibition centres across the country.

It said the Apex Court, on Tuesday July 05, 2016, in clarifying its earlier judgment of May 05, 2016, asked the Commission to immediately delete the names of such persons from the current Provisional Voters Register.

The court added that those persons should, thereafter, be given the opportunity to reregister after establishing that they are Ghanaian citizens, who are 18 years and above and of sound mind; and enabled to take part in the 2016 general election.

The statement said the court was very clear in stating that its order superceded the relevant provisions of the Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2016 (C.I. 91).

This essentially meant the Commission was empowered to delete such names while ensuring that they were not disenfranchised, it said.

“The Commission welcomes this new development which will help the EC and all stakeholders to ensure a clean and credible register ahead of the elections,” the statement said.

Source: GNA